1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-reflecting member attached to a carrying strap for portable electronic equipment that includes a light receiver(also referred as xe2x80x9cphoto detector devicexe2x80x9d) and a light emitter and is provided with optical communications functions.
2. Background of the Invention
In recent years, portable electronic equipment having optical communications functions making use of infrared communications technologies and the like has been proposed. This type of portable electronic equipment, typified by portable game devices, allows a plurality of people who each own their own portable game device to exchange data among them, so that characters appearing in the game may be sent to the memory of another device, or game information may be exchanged so that games can be played in real time, along with other functions.
When portable electronic equipment is carried around at all times, the device is typically attached to a strap and hung from the neck or wrist of the owner. In this case, it is unavoidable that the posture of the equipment is much different depending on whether the portable electronic equipment is being used or being carried (when hanging from the neck or wrist or the like using a strap; the same applies hereafter in this specification). For example, when portable electronic equipment is being used, it is typically operated with the information display surface formed in the surface facing up. For this reason, if the portable electronic equipment is equipped with optical communications functions, the light receiver and the light emitter are provided at locations that face other equipment with which it communicates in the in-use posture, namely the top part of the equipment.
On the other hand, when the equipment is being carried by the user, although this depends on the location where the equipment is attached to the strap, it is not carried in the same posture as that when the equipment is in use, and it typically hangs down with the top part where the light receiver and the light emitter are provided pointing up.
Therefore, even if there is a transmission of data using the optical communications functions from other portable electronic equipment while the equipment is being carried, the light receiver is not facing other equipment with which it communicates, so the light beam cannot be received directly. Even if the light beam reflected by a wall or the like in the surroundings can be received, the intensity of the light beam will be greatly attenuated so that the usable range that the beam can reach would be shortened.
If a light receiver is also provided on parts that face other equipment with which it communicates, in the posture when the portable electronic equipment is being carried, this kind of communications interference will be eliminated. However, there is no denying that this would make the portable electronic equipment more complex and larger.
The present invention was made in light of such circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to enhance the communications functions of portable electronic equipment that has optical communications functions such that a light beam emitted from another equipment with which it communicates can be adequately received even when the equipment is being carried by the user.
In order to achieve the above and other objects of the present invention, a light-reflecting member according to the present invention is one attached to a carrying strap for portable electronic equipment that includes a light receiver and a light emitter and that is provided with optical communications functions, wherein a light beam used in optical communications for the portable electronic equipment is reflected to the light receiver of the portable electronic equipment.
By attaching the light-reflecting member to the carrying strap, the light beams emitted from other equipment with which it communicates are reflected by the light-reflecting member and guided to the light receiver of the portable electronic equipment while the equipment is being carried by the user, so that the optical communications functions of the portable electronic equipment are enhanced even while that equipment is being carried.
The light-reflecting member according to this invention is attached in a desired position on the strap such that light beams emitted from outside (namely, other equipment with which it communicates) can be reflected to the light receiver of the portable electronic equipment.
In addition, the strap according to the present invention is attached with the aforementioned light-reflecting member. For example, in the case where portable electronic equipment is equipped with optical communications functions and has its light receiver for optical communications functions on the top part, it is preferable that the strap is connected to the top portion of the portable electronic equipment and the light-reflecting member that reflects light beams used in the optical communications for the portable electronic equipment be attached in a position near the light receiver.